CUTS in the number of food safety and environmental officers across local authorities have raised concerns about the impact on public health.

Research by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) shows the total number of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and Food Safety Officers (FSOs) in Scotland has fallen by almost 11% in less than three years.

The number of EHOs fell by 9% from 556 in March 2009 to 506 in September 2011, while over the same period, the number of FSO positions fell by over 20%, from 105 to 84.

Tom Bell, chief executive of REHIS said: "We are acutely aware that every public service has been under scrutiny for some time now, however our concerns are the implications for public health if the numbers of professional staff, who protect our communities and businesses not only through the regulation, inspection and prosecution of environmental health matters, but also using advice and education, continues to fall."

Mr Bell said the REHIS research - gathered from Scotland's 32 councils using freedom of information legislation - showed that the cuts were continuing.

He added: "Many have plans to further reduce the number of EHOs and FSOs and that must heighten concerns with the public and everyone with an interest in protecting public health."

Prof Jim McEwen, Emeritus professor in public health at the University of Glasgow, added: "Public health must remain a key priority for every public and private authority, so when we see clear evidence of a continued reduction in the numbers of experts employed to ensure compliance with environmental health legislation and who work to improve and protect public health in Scotland, concerns must be raised.

"We must not forget that the experts leaving the environmental health service are the very people who have the broadest experience and without them the ability to deal effectively with major public health outbreaks like E.coli O157, Anthrax and H1N1 (swine flu) is significantly reduced."